Return to Remote Learning

To the Members of the Compass Academy Schuylkill community:

As you’ve already been informed, someone within our school was diagnosed with COVID-19. In our “Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan”, which we discussed in the student intakes and sent home with you, we developed a plan for a situation like this. 

We encourage our students and staff to voluntarily self-isolate until December 7th. During this timeframe, students will be asked to attend classes remotely on the same days they would have been in school. Since tomorrow, 11/25/2020, would have been a half-day for students, there is no expectation of a full school day. Instead, we will be holding a meeting to discuss what our remote learning schedule will be, share our expectations with our students and their families, and answer any questions that may arise. 

This meeting will be held on zoom at 10:00 AM through -

https://justiceworks.zoom.us/j/6311721144

There will be no academic expectations for 11/26/2020 thru 11/30/2020 because of the Thanksgiving Break. On Tuesday, December 1st, students will be expected to start taking part in our remote learning classes that will run until Friday, December 4th. 

The class schedule is on the "Distance Learning" Tab.

Please try your best to get on and, if you can’t for some reason, reach out and let one of us know so we can accommodate you accordingly.

On Monday, December 7th, students are expected to return to school in person as our schedule should be back to normal!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out! Thank you for your cooperation and understanding! We hope to see you in the meeting!

Rolling into a New School Year

Finally! We are back. After an extended break, thanks to Covid, we are back to school - in-person.

There are changes. With the closure of the Mount Carmel building, there have been some staff changes. New to our program are Mr. Kyle McGee and Mr. Rowe. Mr. Robert McGee, Mr. Eck, Ms. Shannon, and Mr. Watahovich are back for another school year.

Another change - WE WEAR MASKS! And wash our hands frequently. And stay in the same room most of the day. Changes.

We are one-to-one with computers this year. Every student has a laptop at their desk and we are ready to go to "distance learning" if we need to. (fingers crossed - we won't have to)

We will be using Jupiter Ed. this year. It is the best way to check on grades and receive announcements. If you are unfamiliar with Jupiter Ed., check out the video on the "Information" tab. 

Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan

The State has required each school entity to create a Health and Safety Plan which will serve as the local guidelines for all instructional and non-instructional school reopening activities. As with all emergency plans, the Health and Safety Plan developed for our school is tailored to the unique needs of our school and was created in consultation with local health and education agencies. Given the dynamic nature of the pandemic, our plan incorporates enough flexibility to adapt to changing conditions. Our goal is to provide a safe and effective alternative educational program, focusing on addressing the behaviors that caused our students to be placed in our program, while also maintaining adequate academic progress.

You may access the document at the following link. The document is also available in Jupiter Ed. 

Compass Schuylkill School Reopening Health and Safety Plan.docx

Commencement - Short Version

Student Awards and Comments from Lieutenant Governor Fetterman

We had an incredible turn-out for the virtual ceremony held on Thursday. In addition to students and staff from both academies, the meeting was attended by family members, other JusticeWorks YouthCare staff members (including Owner and President Dan Heit), and some special guests. Northumberland County Commissioner Kymberley Best was in attendance. And we were honored to also have in attendance, as the keynote speaker, the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, John Fetterman.

(video after the break)

End of Year Celebration!

Compass Academy & 

Compass Academy - Schuylkill

will be holding a joint "virtual" celebration on

Thursday, May 28th at 3:00 PM

The event is an opportunity to share some of our many success stories from this past year and recognize students, families, and staff. Student recognitions and awards will be announced during the event. 

Please join us on Thursday, the 28th. You can access the ZOOM Room by clicking the button below.

If you have not used ZOOM, you should download the app prior to the event. The apps can be found in the android and apple app stores.

The ZOOM Room will open 15 minutes before the event. If you are new to ZOOM or have not used ZOOM recently, please log in early so that you have time to address any technical difficulties. Staff will be available by phone from 2:45 to 3:00 on the day of the event to help with signing in. Phone numbers will be listed here prior to the event.

You can also join over a phone line for an audio-only experience. 

Dial 1-646-876 -9923 and use meeting ID  916 3213 5555

Far From Home - SCOPE Drama

Students performed a SCOPE Drama in Language Arts class today. The "dramas" are short audio plays. The participants chose different roles, including "Stage Directors" who act as narrators and set the scenes, and perform as voice actors.

Scholastic's My History Project

Students will be participating in Scholastic's "My History Project. The following is from the editors at Scholastic -

Hello Parents and Guardians,  

We’re inviting your children to document their experiences living through the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a living history project we are creating in the Classroom Magazines Division of Scholastic.

We’ve already heard from many kids and teachers who are keeping journals and writing about their experiences. We want to support this and provide ideas for how kids can document their experiences in ways that are empowering and positive. We want children to know that while this is a time of uncertainty and unease, it is also a period that is important and that will long be remembered. Your kids are part of history, and their stories matter.

Our education editors have created a menu of writing prompts and creative project ideas for kids to choose from. We also encourage kids to create projects of their own design or to combine ideas we’ve provided.

The entire letter from Scholastic, an explanatory video, and the menu of project ideas can be found at -  https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/my-history.html

A PDF file of the projects is also attached to an assignment in Jupiter Ed..

We are living in an unusual time. This is an opportunity to help document, in a novel way, how social distancing and a global pandemic is affecting us. Please encourage your student to complete whatever project they choose. We would like to have all projects finished by May 26th so that we can submit them to Scholastic before the end of the school year.

"State of the Academy" - Week Four

Most of us have settled into a routine for distance learning. Kudos to all of the Compass Academy students and families who have decided to make and stay with their commitment to continuing to learn during this unusual time. With just under a month to go, I encourage everyone who has accepted this unique opportunity to continue to take advantage of it. For those who have not, it is not too late to join the rest of us as we finish our school year online.

Last Monday was "May the 4th". Earlier in the year, students read a Shakespearean version of Star Wars in preparation for a study of the play Hamlet. It seemed fitting to join the annual celebration of Star Wars. Students participated in ZOOM Class with themed worksheets and activities.

"State of the Academy" - Week Three

Hello Parents and Guardians,

I hope that you all continue to stay safe during this time. I cannot begin to thank you for your help in encouraging your children to continue learning, whether it be online or completing packets. We have had wonderful, and quite frankly, much better participation in distance learning that we had anticipated.

While school is winding down, I would encourage you all to not lose steam! There is important learning that still needs to occur. I ask that you continue to remind students to attend counseling sessions, zoom classrooms, and complete assignments in a timely manner. For the students, this marking period does count! 

All of our students have behavior goals that they need to continue working on achieving to return to public school next year or in the future. Meetings will occur for all students prior to the closure of the year to determine placement for next year. We are hoping for some returns to us and some returns to home school environments if behavior goals have been met. If any family requests a formal meeting at this time, please reach out to me directly. I will seek to schedule those with school district representatives as quickly as possible. 

Secret Messages and Pizza

Mr. Eck has posted a few videos inside his online lessons. He has also "hidden" some messages and challenges inside some of those videos. One such message from two weeks ago was -

Three students (who may or may not have actually seen the message) did score 50 out of 50 last week. Brandon D., Jaedyn L., and Gavin H. successfully met the criteria for some free food.

"State of the Academy" - Two Weeks into Distance Learning

Compass Academy - Schuylkill has had another successful week of distance learning.

By the numbers - Out of nineteen families, fifteen have joined our efforts to continue learning digitally. Half of the families that are participating have students who regularly attend ZOOM Classrooms. On average, thirteen students log onto Jupiter Ed at least once every school day. And one other number; Mrs. Williams was able to make three laptops available for students who needed a boost n technology. (If you are having equipment difficulties and could use a laptop, contact one of the staff and we will try to find one for you.)

Compass Academy is one of the many programs offered by JusticeWorks YouthCare. JWYC operates three academies in Pennsylvania. The academies were recognized in a recent article. Click here or the image below to go to the article.

Ms. Shannon now has a ZOOM Classroom. Her office hours and the link to her room can be found on the "Distance Learning" page.

How are we doing?

If you are a parent or a student, please take a few minutes to complete an "interim survey". The academy staff needs feedback and information so that we can make the distance learning experience better.

If you are a parent, use this link - https://forms.gle/YPiSED8M2ni6WouZ6

If you are a student, use this link - https://forms.gle/xEuyQ9ZyKd2wySQr9

Please, only fill the form out once. If you completed the form through the Jupiter Ed message, you do not need to fill it out a second time.

Thank you for your helpful feedback.

"State of the Academy" One Week into Distance Learning

First, compared to expectations, this has been a fantastic week for Compass-Schuylkill!

That is not to say that this experience has been easy. Technical issues, trying to motivate ourselves or our children, and trying to understand how to use JEd and ZOOM, has made this a challenge. Compass - Schuylkill serves 8 different school districts. Some districts have offered to help with distance learning devices. Some have not. The academy has 20 students from 19 families. Some families already had access to the internet and own laptops. Other families are making distance learning work on phones without carrier plans by "borrowing" WiFi from their neighbors. And, by the way, most of Pennsylvania is under a stay-at-home order while we wait out a pandemic.

Updated Weekly Schedule as of 4/16

How to do CNN 10 in JDocs

Nothing About This is Normal

Nothing about this is normal. Who would have thought that we would close most businesses and all of the schools? Did anyone anticipate that we would be asked to isolate ourselves and avoid contact with our friends and family not living in our house? Nothing about this is normal.

But that is OK. Learning at an Alternative Ed has rarely been "normal". Learning has very little to do with "school" and an awful lot to do with our mindset about learning.